How to Fake a Green Thumb

Not quite art, but not exactly science, gardening seems to require a special knack, maybe even a "green gene." Don't have it? You can pretend! Just follow these easy tips from our experts, and your garden will be blooming — no green thumb required.

Cluster containers

Cluster containers

Novices do best when they have more control over their conditions. That’s why clustering pots on the patio or porch is a good way to start gardening. Once a plant starts dying or wilting, you can easily water it, move it, re-plant it, or toss it altogether. Easy come, easy go.

“Start simple with a pot of your favorite colored flowers and another of your favorite herb,” says Chris Lambton, a landscape designer and host of HGTV’s Going Yard.

Two of Lambton’s favorites include hardy lavender, which can be dried or clipped for its fragrant blooms, and rosemary, which he uses for cooking. During winter, he brings the pots inside his Cape Cod home, where the plants can beautify the interior year-round.

Choose plants with stamina

Choose plants with stamina

Savvy gardeners know to choose plants that can withstand a wide array of conditions because they’ll endure from season to season.

“I especially like ornamental grasses because they don’t require a lot of water, they survive in any kind of soil, and they come in all different colors, even variegated,” says Lambton. “They also look great in the wind, and they are perennial.”

Lambton also likes designing with resilient flowering plants, like black-eyed Susans and Montauk daisies. Both sustain harsh weather and return every year. Bonus: You can split them into quarters to replant in other parts of the yard to save money.